Bright Sunny Days
by Ferngully
Summary: A few years have passed since Sakura sealed the last card. Now something ties Sakura & her three friends together once more: an eerie melody that only they can hear. Does it have something to do with Clow Reed? And who is the stranger in Sakura's memory?
1. Chapter 1

Sakura Kinomoto tapped her pencil against her notebook as she sat at her desk, thoughtful look on her face. "Hmm…ah!" Her face lit up with an idea and soon began to scribble it down in her notebook. However, after a few sentences, she frowned and erased it. Then, she let out a sigh, and leaned her elbow on her desk and her chin on the palm of her hand.  
  
"What's wrong, Sakura?" Kero asked, floating over to her as he swallowed the last of his dessert. "You seem down."  
"Oh, it's nothing, Kero-chan!" she exclaimed with a laugh as she sat up straight. "It's just that I have a writing assignment due tomorrow and I'm not sure what to write about."  
  
"Oh?" Kero looked over her shoulder and the little she had written and frowned. He placed a hand to his chin and asked, "Tomorrow is your first day of high school, isn't it?"  
  
Sakura nodded. "And everyone in my class is required to write a book report for the first day. But high school work is much harder than I expected!"  
  
Kero sighed and floated back to her bed, where he had been sitting previously. "Tomoyo is in your class, isn't she?"  
  
Sakura nodded again with a smile. "Yes, she is! I'm very happy we get to be in the same class. She already did the book report last week, though. And she picked such a big book, too! Tomoyo is very smart!"  
  
"What about the brat and the wench? They start high school, too, don't they?"  
  
"Yes, in Hong Kong," Sakura answered. "They start tomorrow, too." She then frowned and looked down at her knees. "I haven't seen Shaolan in such a long time. Meiling-chan, too. I wish they could have come to visit during the vacation…"  
  
"How are those two brats doing, anyway?"  
  
"Oh, they're doing very good!" Sakura exclaimed, perking up a bit. "I just got a letter from Shaolan recently; he told me that he and Meiling-chan had fun over the break. He said Meiling-chan has been dating a lot."  
  
"The wench?!" Kero questioned in disbelief and Sakura gave him a nod.  
  
"But he said that she hasn't gone out with any one more than once."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Well, according to Shaolan she always finds something wrong with them," Sakura answered with a frown. "He says she's being picky, but I think its just important to Meiling-chan to find that special someone."  
  
"Hmm." Kero paused for a moment and then asked, "Did you write back to him?"  
  
"Yes; I sent my letter a couple of days ago, so he should get it soon. I told him how Onii-chan and Yukito-san moved into their own apartment in Tokyo for their senior year at Tokyo University and I told him about how nervous I was to start school at Seijou High School, and I told him how much I missed him, and I told him about Tomoyo-chan and Senmatsu-kun."  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Kero exclaimed with a grin. "That's that guy that likes Tomoyo, isn't it?"  
  
Nodding, Sakura said, "He transferred to our junior high school last year from Tokyo."  
  
"He sure doesn't seem like he's from the city."  
  
Sakura frowned and placed her pencil to her chin. "Well, he is very reserved and very shy, but he is very sweet to Tomoyo-chan. He likes her very much, but I think he is too scared to say so. But I think Tomoyo-chan likes him very much, too, except whenever I ask her about it, she just smiles and laughs and doesn't really answer me. But she does that with everyone when they ask her about Senmatsu-kun. They ask her how come she turns down all the other boys who ask her out and how come she keeps waiting for Senmatsu-kun to tell her his true feelings, because it has been a very long time now, but she just smiles and laughs." Sakura then smiled. "But Senmatsu-kun asked her out this evening for dinner, so I hope he'll tell her tonight."  
  
"But they always go to the carnivals and festivals together, don't they?" Kero pointed out.  
  
"Yes, but that was just as friends, Kero-chan!" Sakura insisted. "This is different!" She then clasped her hands together. "And Tomoyo-chan always calls Senmatsu-kun Sen-Sen! It's so schweet!" Falling into "schweet-mode," Sakura eyes luckily happened to glance down at her notebook. She let out a gasp. "Oh, no! It's getting late and I have to finish my report!" She then hastily began writing.  
  
Meiling Li sat at dinner with her date, looking very bored as she watched her date-his name might have been Ying or Jing, but she couldn't really remember-have his soup. Leaning her elbow against the table and her chin in her hand, she miserably pried at her own meal with her chopstick. She glanced up at her date and watched him eat his soup.  
  
Who holds their spoon like that? she wondered with a frown. What a stupid way to hold a spoon… She let out a sigh and stared down at her meal again. And he's barely said a word to me all evening, she thought, now looking up and around the restaurant with bored eyes. Well, he asked me how I was and if I was excited about starting high school tomorrow, but those are the obvious questions. And then he did start going on and on about that trip to the mountains he took, so I guess he has talked a lot…man, that was boring…but he's all right, I suppose, even if he is kind of boring…   
  
She then looked over at her date again and frowned as she thought once more, but who holds their spoon like that?!  
  
"I'm sorry I ruined your dress, Daidouji-san," Senichi Senmatsu apologized with a frown and a bow of his head as he and Tomoyo Daidouji stood outside the restaurant, waiting for Tomoyo's bodyguards to drive up with the limousine.   
  
Tomoyo simply smiled, clasping her hands politely in front of her and cocking her head a bit to the side. "Oh, don't worry, Sen-Sen. I don't mind. It was an accident."  
  
"Yes, but if I wasn't so klutzy…"  
  
Tomoyo chuckled good-naturedly and insisted, "It's only a little stain of juice. I had fun tonight, anyway."  
  
"You did?" he asked with a hopeful smile, raising his head again.   
  
Tomoyo closed her eyes with a smile and nodded. Then, hearing a car pull up, she turned around to see the limousine had arrived. "Oh, I must be going now. Thank you for taking me out this evening, Sen-Sen; I really enjoyed myself. I will see you tomorrow at school."  
  
Senichi nodded, face turning a bit red. She gave a smile and a small giggle before turning to the car. Then, biting his lip nervously as he watched her get into the limousine, Senichi managed to muster up all the courage he had in him and called out just as she was ready to close the door, "Daidouji-san!"  
  
"Hmm?" she looked up at the blushing Senichi and blinked. "Yes, Sen-Sen?"  
  
Unfortunately, all his courage went into calling out her name, and he found himself panicked. Turning beat red, he exclaimed nervously, "Oh, it was nothing!" before scratching the back of his head with an awkward laugh.   
  
Tomoyo frowned, slightly confused, but then smiled warmly again, saying, "Well, all right then, Sen-Sen. Good night."  
  
"Good night, Daidouji-san."  
  
However, as Tomoyo went to close the car door, she stopped and opened it wide with curious eyes, much to Senichi's surprise. "Do you need a ride home, Sen-Sen?"  
  
Senichi quickly shook his head. "Oh, no, no! Don't worry about me, Daidouji-san. I was just going to take the bus…" He glanced away.  
  
Tomoyo smiled and stepped out of the limousine. "Then I will take the bus with you." Senichi blinked in puzzlement as Tomoyo waved one of her bodyguards on, the bodyguard giving a nod and the limousine driving off without her. Then, eyes closed and grin on her face, she stepped beside Senichi and said, "Shall we, then?"  
  
Senichi quickly nodded, cheeks a bit pink, and the two began to walk toward the bus stop, the quiet night peacefully surrounding them.  
  
Meiling tapped one of her chopsticks against her dish while her date rambled on about something or another. She sighed, a bored expression on her face.  
  
"And I kept telling her it wasn't going to work, but she insisted…" Her date's voice trailed off in her mind.   
  
No, I was right before, she thought as she dozed off, he hasn't said a word to me all evening…everything he's said has been to himself…  
  
"I mean, everyone knows that something like that just wouldn't work, right, Meiling?"  
  
"Huh?" Meiling asked, jerking up in her seat at the sound of her name, her groggy eyes now wide awake. "I mean, uh-"  
  
"But, as I said, she insisted, so what choice did I have, but to…" her date continued on after taking a sip of his soup, not even fazed by the fact that Meiling was barely paying attention. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice this fact.   
  
Meiling scowled, a sour look in her eyes, before she slumped back in her seat with a frustrated sigh.   
  
She thought, folding her arms crossly, What a stupid jerk… Then, eyeing his hand, she added to herself, Doesn't even know how to hold a spoon right…  
  
Shaolan raised his sword as he practiced in the living room of his home, serious eyes set on the tip of the blade. He turned about, swinging his sword a few times and then remained frozen again, his sword perfectly perpendicular to him and his eyes still set on the blade.   
  
"Shaolan-sama," Wei's voice came from the doorway.  
  
"Hmm?" Shaolan looked to his right, lowering his sword and relaxing his body.  
  
"Your mother has told me to tell you that you should get to bed soon," Wei began, "After all, Shaolan-sama, your first day of high school is tomorrow and you need your rest."  
  
Shaolan nodded. "Yes, Wei; I will." Wei gave a bow of his head and left the room then. Shaolan sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Then, he took his fighting stance, raising his sword again, his eyes becoming serious once more as he began to practice again.  
  
"Hey, Kero-chan, I was thinking," Sakura began as she placed both her notebook and pencil down.  
  
"Yeah, Sakura?" Kero asked, looking up slightly from the video games he was now playing.  
  
"Well, things have been awfully quiet for a long time…ever since the Void card, well…"  
  
"It has been a few years, hasn't it, Sakura?" Kero sighed then. "But magic is a scarcity in this world; there aren't much people with it, and even less who will use it for evil purposes. And as for those who do have magic, they can't use it as much as they could in Clow's days; everything has to be done much more secretly now." Sakura gave a nod, picking up her notebook and pen again, and Kero eyed her suspiciously. "How come you ask now?"  
  
Sakura shrugged. "I don't know…I just started wondering all of a sudden…" Then she went back to her writing.  
  
Shaolan lifted his sword slightly, eyes fixed on the sword. But he frowned, feeling his concentration was starting to fail him. Narrowing his eyes, face becoming stubborn, he fought his wandering mind off and twirled his sword a few times before stopping it when the blade was parallel to him, his right eye reflected in the steel. Then, after a moment, he gave it a sharp turn so that the edge now faced him. Then, lowering the blade and raising the butt of the sword, he bent his knees slightly and ran his hand down the blade, stopping it when it reached the three-fourths mark.  
  
As he started to move the sword again, his mind wandered, as much as he tried to stop it, and he thought suddenly, I wonder how Sakura is doing…  
  
In his lack of concentration, the blade cut across the palm of his hand and he let out a cry of pain and dropped his sword to the ground. He frowned in dismay as his eyes squinted in pain as he looked down at the bit of blood that trickled down the palm of his hand.  
  
Tomoyo gracefully took a seat on the bench when they reached the bus stop, folding her hands in her laps and crossing her legs at the ankle. Senichi quickly sat beside her, face red and head lowered.   
  
"Thank…thank you for taking the bus with me, Daidouji-san" Senichi stammered to thank Tomoyo.  
  
Tomoyo just giggled and gave him a kind smile. "You are welcome, Sen-Sen." Senichi gave her a nervous smile back before glancing away.  
  
And the two sat quietly then, Tomoyo with a peaceful smile and Senichi with a worried look on his face.  
  
Sakura was writing her paper still when a faint sound came to her ears.  
  
"Hoe?" she asked, sitting up straight and listening attentively.  
  
"What's wrong, Sakura?" Kero asked in concern, looking up from his video game.  
  
"I hear something…a voice, I think…singing…"  
  
"Hmm?" Kero listened, but after a moment, frowned in perplexity. "I don't hear anything."  
  
But Sakura was rising to her feet in a bit of a daze. "You stay here Kero-chan; I just want to see where it's coming from…"  
  
"All right, Sakura," Kero agreed reluctantly, "but I still don't hear anything…"  
  
Sakura quietly peered out the door of her room and then slowly ambulated into the hallway. Gradually, she made her way down the hall, the voice slowly becoming louder and clearer in her ears…  
  
Meiling raised her head in surprise as the sound of a voice came to her ears. "Do you hear that?" she asked her date suddenly.  
  
Her date frowned in a bit of annoyance, having been in the middle of talking. "Hear what?" he asked.  
  
"That singing…"  
  
"I don't hear any singing," he answered with a slight scowl. "Anyway, as I was saying…" But Meiling was slowly rising, her ears fixed on the voice that made her way into her ears, and her date stopped mid-sentence, staring up at her in confusion. "Meiling…?"  
  
Shaolan was still looking at his wounded palm when a soft humming of a song came to his ear. He raised his head in puzzlement, not recognizing the voice. "Hello? Is someone there?" he asked. No answer came; all he heard was the voice singing out to him, echoing through the otherwise silent house. Then, growing suspicious, he narrowed his eyes and bent down to pick up his sword. With fierce eyes, he cautiously made his way toward the singing.  
  
"Hmm?" Tomoyo lifted her head, her smile fading into a frown, and she looked toward the right, gazing down the dark road as she and Senichi waited for the bus to come.  
  
"Daidouji-san?" Senichi asked in confusion.  
  
"That singing…I wonder where it's coming from," she said in a sudden wonderment.  
  
"Singing?" Senichi inquired, still baffled and looked toward the road as she did.  
  
"I think it is coming from down the road, but…but it feels as if it is all around me." She then looked to Senichi. "Do you hear the song?"  
  
Senichi frowned and shook her head. Puzzled, Tomoyo scrunched her eyebrows with a frown and gazed down the road again.  
  
As Sakura walked further, the voice slowly became clearer and the words distinct. And so the voice sung:  
  
"Dead petals from weeping flowers fall  
  
While the sky turns pale and cold  
  
There's nothing for you here now  
  
Leave this empty place and then you will  
  
Find bright sunny days…"  
  
Sakura frowned in puzzlement. "Hoe?" Yet she continued to walk on, everything around her turning fuzzy and white.  
  
Meiling listened attentively as the same song that Sakura heard continued on in her ears, everything else around her strangely silent.  
  
"As you turn cold, just close your eyes and   
  
Sleep and dream and the pain will  
  
End somehow. Yes all will end  
  
Somehow today, 'til there is nothing  
  
But bright sunny days…"  
  
And Meiling raised an eyebrow and wondered, but…what is that supposed to mean?  
  
"Very soon you will be warm, no more  
  
Cold tears will fall from your eyes…"  
  
Tomoyo slowly rose from her seat and brought her clasped hands up to her chest, a cold chill running through her as the song continued on.  
  
"Yet you cry. Tell me, why do  
  
You cry now when beyond this cold world  
  
Lies bright sunny days?"  
  
Shaolan had stopped lingering down the hall, it suddenly beginning to get darker as the last verse came to him.  
  
"You'll miss your dead flowers and cold sky  
  
And I know it hurts you. But  
  
Can't you just smile for me?  
  
Please, just smile for me as I sing on  
  
This bright sunny day…"  
  
And Shaolan lowered his sword as he could hear the voice softly starting to hum the melody in his ear, yet there was no one there at all.  
  
  
Sakura began to suddenly repeat the words in a sung whisper as the voice hummed in her ear as if a sudden daze. "Can't you just smile for me…please, just…smile for me…as I sing on this…bright…sunny…"  
  
Unexpectedly, the image of a man flashed in her head, dark curly hair, black robe and eyes closed in concentration, and Sakura let out a gasp, her eyes widening and she snapped out of her daze.  
  
The song was gone and she found herself in the hallway of her home. Blinking a few times, she frowned and asked one more time, "Hoe?"  
  
Shaolan blinked himself as the light somehow made its way back to the hall. Face puzzled, he glanced down at his sword, then his cut hand, and then back down the hall where he had come from, small stains of blood having dripped on to the beige carpet from his wound.  
  
Meiling suddenly broke out of her daze and blinked once or twice before realizing that her date was staring up at her with an annoyed sort of confusion. Her face turned beat red in embarrassment and she quickly dropped to her seat, lowering her head and staring at her hands that now lay in her lap.  
  
Face still flushed, she muttered to herself, "How embarrassing…!"  
  
"Daidouji-san?" Senichi asked, standing up and walking over to her with worry, noticing a frown on her face.  
  
But Tomoyo quickly turned to him with closed eyes and a warm smile and said, "Oh, it was nothing, Sen-sen; just the wind, I think." He nodded, although much doubt still surfaced in his eyes. But she opened her eyes and looked past him before he could ask anything more, saying, "Oh, the bus is here."  
  
She then stepped past him, still smiling, and toward the bus as it halted to a stop. As she went to get on, however, she stopped for a short moment and gazed down the road once more with a worried look, But she then shook it off, stepping onto the bus, a worried Senichi following close behind her.   
  
  
  
And Sakura still stood in the hall in her confusion. But who was that man, she thought, and who was singing that song…?  
  
Sakura shivered and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, biting her lower lip and lowering her head slightly. "What a strange song…"  
  
She then turned and walked back to her room, glancing behind her every so often until she closed her bedroom door.  
  
"So? What was it, Sakura?" Kero asked curiously flying over to her.  
  
Sakura gently shook her head, a lost expression in her eyes. "I don't know, Kero-chan." Kero frowned in perplexity, but asked nothing more as Sakura walked quietly past him and took a seat at her desk again, continuing with her report once more in a somber silence.  
  
Yet the song continued on playing in the back of her mind. 


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura rushed to put on her jacket that early morning glancing at her clock constantly.  
  
"But Sakura!" Kero exclaimed. "What happened last night?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Kero," Sakura began to apologize hastily, gathering her books together, "but I'm going to be late for my first day of class!" Then, as he went to leave her bedroom, she added, "but I promise when I get back I'll tell you all about it!"  
  
"But Sakura!" Kero protested, but Sakura was already out the door.  
  
Sakura hustled down the stairs and into the kitchen, her breakfast already laid out for her. She sat down and ate in a moment's time, and was up again, heading toward the door as the phone began to ring.  
  
After a moment, Sakura's father called out to her from the hall, "Sakura!"  
  
"Yes?" she called back, putting on her left shoe.  
  
"You have a phone call," he replied. "From Hong Kong."   
  
Sakura gasped, then hastily kicked off her shoes and ran into the hall, excitedly taking the phone from her father. "Thanks!" she said with a smile and her father warmly smiled back before leaving her with to her phone call. Anxiously, Sakura asked into the phone, "Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Sakura; it's Shaolan," the familiar voice of Shaolan came to her and Sakura nearly let out a squeal, grinning wildly.  
  
"Hi!" she exclaimed. "How are you?"  
  
"I am good," he replied. "I'm sorry to call so early, but I wanted to wish you good luck on your first day of high school."  
  
"Thanks! Good luck to you, too!"  
  
"I…uh…" Shaolan hesitated, lowering his head as he stood in the hall of his own home in Hong Kong.  
  
Sakura blinked curiously and frowned. "Shaolan?"  
  
"I've missed you," he finally said, blushing slightly, and Sakura smiled.  
  
"I've missed you, too," she answered back.  
  
Easing up, Shaolan then asked, "Did you get my letter?"  
  
"Oh, yes!" she replied eagerly. "I was glad to hear from you. I wrote back, too; you should get it soon."  
  
"All right." Shaolan paused for a moment. Then, he began to ask, "Sakura, I wanted to ask you-about last night-"  
  
"Shaolan! We're going to be late for school!" Meiling's voice called out before Shaolan could finish, however, and Shaolan turned his head to see that Meiling had just entered his house, new school uniform on and books in hand. "Hmm?" She blinked a few times, spotting him on the phone, and then suddenly grinned.  
  
"Shaolan?" Sakura asked, wondering why Shaolan had stopped mid-sentence.  
  
However, before Shaolan had a chance to answer, Meiling had already grabbed the phone from him, nearly knocking hom over in the process. She exclaimed excitedly into the receiver, "Kinomoto-san!"  
  
Sakura blinked, a bit puzzled. "Meiling-chan?"  
  
"Hi! How are you?"  
  
Smiling, her confusion now leaving her, Sakura replied, "Oh, hi, Meiling-chan! I am good; how are you?"  
  
"I'm good…"  
  
Shaolan grumbled a bit as Meiling began chatting away to Sakura about her vacation and such. He then began, "Meiling, I was-"  
  
'Oh, Daidouji-san?" Meiling interrupted, still engrossed in her conversation with Sakura. "Yes, she told me about Senmatsu-kun! What about him?" There was a pause. "Really? On a date? Last night? Did she talk to you about it yet?" Shaolan let out a sigh and leaned against the wall in slight annoyance as Meiling listened to Sakura attentively. "Well, you have to ask her about it today! And then call me later! Or maybe I'll email Daidouji-san about it…but I wonder what this Senmatsu-kun is like anyway…hmm?" She paused and listened. She then looked at her watch and said, "Wow, it is getting late…uh-huh…okay…I'll tell him…" She looked up from the phone and to Shaolan. "Kinomoto-san says she loves you."  
  
Shaolan immediately stood up straight, face bright red, and stammered in a mumble, "I…uh…tell her I love her, too," before lowering his head in embarrassment.  
  
Meiling laughed and smiled, turning her attention back to the phone. "Shaolan says he loves you, too." She then cuffed her hand around her mouth and the receiver and whispered, "You should see him; he's blushing. It's so cute!"  
  
"Meiling!" Shaolan scolded, hearing her and face turning even redder.  
  
But Meiling just laughed and said to Sakura, "Bye, Kinomot-san! Hope to talk to you soon!"  
  
"Bye, Meiling-chan," Sakura said with a smile, hanging up the phone. She then looked at her watch, panic spreading across her face, and she cried, "Hoe!" before rushing off to school.  
  
"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo greeted her friend as she waited for Sakura to catch up with her on that early April morning.  
  
"Good morning, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura replied with a grin when she reached her. "I though I was going to be late!"  
  
"How are you, Sakura-chan?"  
  
"I'm good. How about you?"  
  
"I'm fine. Are you excited about starting high school, Sakura-chan?"  
  
Sakura smiled with an energetic nod. "Yes, very!"  
  
Tomoyo smiled herself and replied, "Me, too."  
  
The two girls started off again, Tomoyo walking and Sakura slowly skating by her side, when Sakura asked, "So, Tomoyo-chan, how did things go with Senmatsu-kun last night?"  
  
"Oh, it was very enjoyable," Tomoyo said pleasantly. "Sen-Sen was the perfect gentleman."  
  
"That's good," Sakura replied. Then, hesitating, Sakura asked, "Did he confess his true feelings to you?"  
  
Tomoyo just smiled and chuckled softly, but said nothing on the matter, and Sakura frowned because of it, letting out a sigh. Changing the subject suddenly, Tomoyo said, "Oh, Sakura-chan! Did I tell you? I just finished my latest costume for you yesterday!" She clasped her hands together and became starry-eyed. "I just can't wait to film you in it!"  
  
Sakura blushed and gave her a bashful smile. "Well, I suppose I'll just use the Create Card again…" she answered, rubbing the back of her neck.  
  
"Thank you so much, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo exclaimed, stopping and taking her friend by the hand. "I really appreciate it!"   
  
"As long as you are happy, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said with a smile.  
  
"Yes, I am," Tomoyo answered. "Nothing makes me more happier than filming you in my costumes! Oh, how cute you will look!" She became starry-eyed again at the thought as the two proceeded toward the school again. "And it's a good thing, too, that I brought it with me this morning; you can try it on right after school!"  
  
Sakura tried her best to smile, although embarrassment still filled her face. However, she soon frowned regretfully. "Oh, wait. I'm sorry, Tomoyo-chan, but I can't right after school today.  
  
"Hmm?" Tomoyo asked, frowning now as her hope left her eyes.  
  
"I promised Yukito-san and Onni-chan that I would visit them at their new apartment."  
  
"Oh, okay, then," Tomoyo said with a smile, trying desperately to hide her disappointment.  
  
Sakura frowned, feeling a bit guilty, and lowered her head. Then, suddenly she perked up and excitedly exclaimed with a grin, "Hey, I know! Why don't you come with me to see Onni-chan and Yukito-san?" she offered. "Then, afterwards, we can go back to my house and I'll try on the costume for you."  
  
Tomoyo's face lit up. "All right, Sakura-chan!" Both girls smiled and laughed, and then continued on toward Seijou High School.  
  
  
  
Meiling and Shaolan walked alongside each other while they walked to school as they had always done since they were little.  
  
"I'm so excited; aren't you?" Meiling was saying. "Our first day of high school!" She went to say more, but stopped suddenly, noticing the bandage wrapped around Shaolan's hand. "Hey, Shaolan; what happened to your hand?"  
  
"Huh?" he looked down at it and frowned a bit. "I cut it practicing last night."  
  
"Oh," Meiling said. After a pause of contemplation, she folded her arms and scolded, "Well, you should be more careful, Shaolan! A sword is a very dangerous weapon! Say if you cut off your finger or something?!" Shaolan gave a shrug, eyes still set on his hand. "Shaolan!" she exclaimed in frustration, but the calmed down a bit, growing curious again and inquired, "But how come you cut yourself? You never cut yourself when you're practicing."  
  
Shaolan looked up at her for a moment. Then he sighed and glanced away. "I got distracted," he answered curtly.  
  
"Oh…" Meiling trailed off slightly and placed a finger to her chin. "Well, I suppose it's easy to get distracted when you don't have any reason to focus. I mean, it has been a few years since you actually needed to use your sword or your magic." She frowned and then added. "I've gotten that way with my martial arts, too, I think…"  
  
Shaolan looked down at his hand again with a somber look in his eyes, but then asked Meiling, "So how'd your date go last night?"  
  
"Oh, don't even get me started on that!" she exclaimed in aggravation. "Ying or Jing or whatever his name is was a complete jerk!"  
  
"Oh…?"  
  
"First, he asks me all those redundant questions and then he starts going on and on about this mountain trip he took and then about some girl; it was so boring! And he held his spoon all wrong! I mean, if you saw the way he held his spoon, you would have been like, 'who holds their spoon like that?'"  
  
"That's interesting…" Shaolan trailed off, only half-listening.  
  
"And, worst of all, halfway through the dinner, I hear this song-one that he CLAIMS he didn't hear-"  
  
"Song?" Shaolan questioned, raising suspicious eyes to her.  
  
"Yeah, song," Meiling repeated nonchalantly and continued on with the story. "Anyway, I hear this song and it kind of put me in this daze…I don't know, but, anyway, the next thing I know the song stops and I'm just standing their like an idiot and he's just staring up at me as if I am an idiot; it was so embarrassing!"  
  
"But, Meiling, what was the song-"  
  
"An-mei! Myung! Hi!" Meiling cut him off, spotting two of her friends up ahead and giving them both a big grin and an even bigger wave.   
  
The two girls smiled and waved back, calling, "Hi, Meiling!"  
  
"Wait! Meiling!" Shaolan tried to stop her, reaching out a hand to her, but it was too late; Meiling had already excitedly ran up ahead with a cheery grin and had started up conversation with the two girls.  
  
And all Shaolan could do was drop his hand to the side and let out a sigh.  
  
  
  
After school, before Sakura and Tomoyo left to see Yukito and Touya, Senichi came running toward them, calling, "Daidouji-san!"  
  
Tomoyo turned around and smiled when she saw Senichi. "Good afternoon, Sen-Sen."  
  
"Good afternoon, Senmatsu-Kun," Sakura also greeted him with a polite bow  
  
"Oh, hi, Kinomoto-san," he said with a smile and a small wave before turning his attention back to Tomoyo. "Um…Daidouji-san…I…uh…I…"  
  
"Yes, Sen-Sen?"  
  
Senichi's face turned red. "I…uh…wanted to know if you wanted to…uh…do something, now? That is, if you're not busy…"  
  
Tomoyo frowned. "I'm sorry, Sen-Sen, but I have already made plans with Sakura-chan."  
  
"Oh…" Senichi lowered his head in disappointment, but Tomoyo smiled and took his hand. Senichi looked up in surprised.  
  
"But we'll do something tomorrow. I promise."  
  
Senichi now smiled. "All right, Daidouji-san! I'll see you tomorrow then!" He then started off, giving them a big wave as he left. "Good-bye, Daidouji-san! Good-bye, Kinomoto-san!"  
  
"Good-bye, Senmatsu-kun!" Sakura called and waved back.  
  
"Good-bye, Sen-Sen!" Tomoyo replied, waving as well. He was then out of sight. "He's very sweet, isn't he?"  
  
Sakura nodded vigorously. "Yes!"  
  
Tomoyo smiled. "Shall we go then to see your brother and Tsukishiro-san, Sakura-chan?" Sakura nodded excitedly again and the two girls were then off. 


End file.
